News

Bad weather costs cricket club dear

A CRICKET club has joined the long line of casualties from the awful weather after floods and storms wreaked havoc at its riverside home.

Marlow Park Cricket Club recently spent thousands refurbishing its clubhouse in Higginson Park, with members fearing the worst after floodwater submerged parts of the building and whole swathes of the pitch.

Uninsurable sightscreens worth around £3500 have also been destroyed by the weekend’s gale-force winds, with the insurance excess on the clubhouse set at £2500.

And to make matters worse, the pavilion remains inaccessible due to deep water, with club members unable to inspect the extent of the damage.

Chairman Mike Barlow said: "The pitch completely disappeared underwater, we just had a huge lake at one point.

"We’ve no idea of the damage inside, we’ve not been able to get in as it’s still surrounded by water. We spent quite a lot of money last year on making it look really nice and now the water has come to get us.

"The sightscreens last about five or six years usually, but now they’re just bits of floating wood. The problem is they’re completely uninsurable so we’ve probably lost around £6,000 overall."

Members also used £10,000 of reserve funds to replace the pavilion roof last year.

Marlow Park Cricket Club is renowned for the quality of its playing surface and has been chosen by league players as the second best pitch in the Thames Valley after High Wycombe. Mr Barlow said the club now has around ten weeks to dry the surface out ready for the cricket season, which begins in the spring.